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This is basically all Revenge of the Sith spoilers, so read on at your own peril.

The second to last scene of Revenge of the Sith features Darth Vader and the Emperor overseeing the construction of the first Death Star. Several things imply this takes place some time after the film's main narrative.

  1. The Star Destroyers have been remodeled.

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  1. The Republic Navy has transitioned into the Imperial Navy and the officers have received new uniforms.

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  1. Vader has gotten used to his armor and the Imperial officers have gotten used to Vader.

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How much time has passed?

Edit: Some people are claiming my question is a duplicate of this one. However, all the linked question's answers state is that the Death Star was in construction during the Clone Wars. They do not mention any of the clues that this scene takes place at a later date, nor do they state when the scene actually takes place.

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    scifi.stackexchange.com/questions/114438/…? Commented Apr 7, 2016 at 22:40
  • Looks like a duplicate to me.
    – DCShannon
    Commented Apr 7, 2016 at 22:45
  • @JasonBaker That answer states that the Death Star was in construction during the Clone Wars. I'll remove my fourth points, but the others should still stand, as linked question doesn't actually state when this scene takes place.
    – Rogue Jedi
    Commented Apr 7, 2016 at 22:45
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    Long enough has passed for Tarkin to become fully CGI
    – Valorum
    Commented Apr 7, 2016 at 22:52
  • All the other question's answers state is that the Death Star was in construction during the Clone Wars. None of the answers state when this particular scene takes place.
    – Rogue Jedi
    Commented Apr 8, 2016 at 10:24

1 Answer 1

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According to the film's junior novelisation, it appears to have been within a few days of Padmé's funeral on Naboo. The book describes it as "shortly after"

Obi-Wan and Yoda watched the funeral from Bail Organa’s starcruiser. It was as close as they dared come. The Emperor’s attention would surely be fixed on the funeral, and they would not take the risk of being found.

Shortly after, the Emperor took his new apprentice off to a remote area of the galaxy where construction of a new superweapon was just beginning — a gigantic space station with the power to destroy whole planets with a single laser blast.

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    Hmm. Given that we know that the end of Revenge of the Sith is a good three years after Attack of the Clones, “just beginning” seems an odd choice of words, even for such a grand and long-lasting project. The skeleton seen in the movie also seems rather more than “just begun” to me. Commented Apr 8, 2016 at 16:40
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    @JanusBahsJacquet - Well, it's not completed for another two decades and even then only just. You could argue that the superstructure is the beginning of the project in the same way that a building's foundations are the beginning of a skyscraper.
    – Valorum
    Commented Apr 8, 2016 at 17:58
  • Considering the fastest that we can build a 57-storey skyscraper today is about 5 months, from fabrication to assembly, 18-20 years to build a mobile space station with nearly an entire galaxy's worth of resources available to it makes it sound like the Emperor wasn't as effective at motivating people as Vader would have had us believe in ANH.
    – Xantec
    Commented Apr 8, 2016 at 20:20
  • @Xantec - When Vader turns up on the Death Star II, it turns out that the crew is only working double shifts and snoozing half the night away.
    – Valorum
    Commented Apr 8, 2016 at 20:25
  • Sounds like a roadway construction crew. One person to control traffic, one person to actually work, and three people to stand around talking.
    – Xantec
    Commented Apr 8, 2016 at 20:27

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